Many moons ago, LG had promised the release of an official bootloader unlock tool for its G3, but the company didn't make good on its word. It seems that the plans were never forgotten though, because LG's Developer site got a new "Unlock Bootloader" page that does just that, except it's not for the G3 (yet).

While bootloader unlocking is quite easy on Nexus devices, almost all other Android phones and tablets suffer from tightly locked bootloaders that require a bit of tinkering to get access to. Both Sony and Motorola actively try to help developers achieve unlock (and there was a time when HTC did so too), but owners of other brands are usually left on their own - free to roam the forums and try to find a method that works, or to use Sunshine if it's compatible. And LG devices haven't been the most developer-friendly until now, heck most of them still aren't, but that new page is a good sign for the future.

LG's page details the risks of unlocking your bootloader, especially in losing your warranty and maybe raising vulnerability prospects, then proceeds to let you know that the only currently supported phone is LG's G4 for the EU open market, but that they "will add more devices with unlockable bootloaders unlocking permission progressively." Whether that means new devices going forward or that you could see old phones and tablets join the ranks (like the G3) remains a mystery.

Detailed step-by-step instructions follow on the page, with links to download the required files from Android Developer, how to request the unlock key, and instructions to get through the process. Once that's done, you should have an unlocked bootloader and all the freedom to install custom ROMs and mod your device to your liking.

Comments

Otto Prime

Most LG devices were made "developer-friendly" with Bump unlock (minus Flex 2 and G4). But at least Sunshine got a name drop.

Daniel Marcus

Why is it so hard for manufacturers to make this easy? On my Motorola devices, you use the regular Android developer tools, you don't need any accounts or to receive an email. You just unlock it with a key the website gives you based on an unlock code retrieved from the phone. Done.

dude

Normal people don't do command lines.

simo

Normal people don't unlock the bootloader

oldjackbob

Sheeple don't unlock the bootloader.

Roh_Mish

When I unlocled bootloader on my friend's phone not too long ago it asked to login to a google account and sent the unlock codes via email.

Adam Bennett

I'm assuming this wipes your internal SD card like every other bootloader unlock? The site doesn't actually say.

blindexecutioner

I'm going to guess, in the US at least, carriers and/or large media companies are the main culprits behind locking the bootloader.

mickeyB88

yup, mostly. hell, the verizon variant of the G3 doesn't even allow you to use the LG Software tool. You're forced to use that awful verizon software update...thing.

abqnm

Not T-Mobile! Hahahaha

I'm fairly sure that the T-Mobile G3 (d851) is the only G3 that came with an unlocked bootloader from the factory.

AT&T and Verizon are always locked. Sprint seems to go back and forth. Some devices are locked and some aren't. Why LG locked the bootloader of the international variants of the G3, I'll never understand.

Richard Gao

No Android phone comes with an unlocked bootloader from the factory. It is unlockable, but it is definitely not sold unlocked.

abqnm

I'm afraid you're wrong here. It's most definitely unlocked out of the box. I have one. This is only the d851 T-Mobile version. All other variants were locked, but can be "bump unlocked." It took a little time after launch for that bootloader unlock to be found for other variants, but the d851 was ready to go straight from a T-Mobile store. All you need is a custom recovery and it will boot any unsigned code you want.

And there are plenty of Chinese manufacturers that don't have a locked bootloader.

And many older Android phones had unlocked bootloaders. Pressure from the carriers and concerns about warranty replacements drove most manufacturers to lock the bootloaders, but it wasn't overnight.

Richard Gao

Huh. My bad. I must've gotten that confused with root from the factory.

I had the AT&T D850 model myself. Must be nice to not have to go through a crapload of code to modify the phone, haha.

I'll delete my comment to avoid further confusion.

Rich Rogers

Sorry to burst ya'lls bubble BUT I own the AT&T lg g3 D850 its bootloader is unlocked straight from factory! Currently running android 7.1.2 nougat

Still waiting for the Camera Driver for G3 :D Imagine the bootloader function.

Theuntje

How can a unlocked apparatus void warranty? It's not that I'm taking apart the hardware..

Jack Jennings

The only thing you could possibly do would be to modify the software to over-work the hardware (overclock) and fry it, but really they're just covering their asses. Warranty covers soft and hardware faults usually, so it makes sense to not be forced into having to re-flash loads of overly-ambitious developer's handsets...